EXTRA PROSECUTORS HIRED FOR POT CASES

WATERLOO - Starting this September, Waterloo Region should have a satellite
office staffed by three full-time federal drug prosecutors to handle the
burgeoning marijuana homegrow cases and other drug charges.

The recent resignations of two local lawyers who prosecuted federal cases
in the region, as well as an inability to find qualified lawyers to replace
Gerry Taylor and Pat Flynn prompted the government's decision to open a
satellite office here, Stephane Marinier, acting senior counsel for the
Ontario Region of the federal Justice Department, said yesterday, minutes
after he received the official OK for the new office.

Now, Marinier said he has to find a location for the satellite office,
preferably near the courts in downtown Kitchener.

He also said no decision has been made yet on whether the government will
seek applications for the positions of federal prosecutors or draw from the
department's current supply of staff lawyers.

"We are hoping to be up and running in September. That would be the goal,"
Marinier said.

This move towards having full-time drug prosecutors was prompted by Flynn's
decision to quit last month after eight years as a drug prosecutor.

His resignation closely followed the same decision by Taylor after 18 years
as senior drug prosecutor.

Both men said the $82 an hour they received to do the work wasn't enough to
cover their office expenses. Taylor and Flynn have returned to their
private law practices where they can earn about three times as much.

For the past several months, two or three staff lawyers from the Toronto
office of the Department of Justice have been filling in for Flynn and
Taylor, but Marinier said that is no longer practical.

"We will now be in a much better position to serve the community and the
courts," he said.